WordPress 6.8.1 Release Candidate 1 (RC1) is available for testing! Some ways you can help test this minor release:

• Use the WordPress Beta Tester pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party
  • As this is a minor RCrelease candidate One of the final stages in the version release cycle, this version signals the potential to be a final release to the public. Also see alpha (beta). release, select the Point Release channel and the Nightlies stream. This is the latest build including the RC and potentially any subsequent commits in trunk.
• Use WP-CLIWP-CLI WP-CLI is the Command Line Interface for WordPress, used to do administrative and development tasks in a programmatic way. The project page is http://wp-cli.org/ https://make.wordpress.org/cli/ to test: wp core update https://wordpress.org/wordpress-6.8.1-RC1.zip
• Directly download the Beta/RC version.

What’s in this release candidate?

6.8.1 RC1 is a release candidaterelease candidate One of the final stages in the version release cycle, this version signals the potential to be a final release to the public. Also see alpha (beta). for a maintenance release with a focus on bugs introduced in WordPress 6.8. In total, this RC features fixes for 15 bugs throughout Core and the Block Editor.

The following coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. tickets and PRs are included:

• #62718 Automatic updater of WordPress always fails if FS_METHOD is ftpext since 6.6 with PHPPHP The web scripting language in which WordPress is primarily architected. WordPress requires PHP 7.4 or higher 8.0+
• #63005 Replacing certain bulk-edit fields blocks all bulk edits
• #63269 Duplicate array key `Code` in `_WP_Editors::get_translation()`
• #63285 Call to undefined function is_super_admin() in /wp-includes/ms-files.php
• #63287 Unexpected output from apply_block_hooks_to_content_from_post_object
• #63302 SVG images can’t be uploaded anymore due to a resizing issue
• #63307 REST APIREST API The REST API is an acronym for the RESTful Application Program Interface (API) that uses HTTP requests to GET, PUT, POST and DELETE data. It is how the front end of an application (think “phone app” or “website”) can communicate with the data store (think “database” or “file system”) https://developer.wordpress.org/rest-api/.: Returns incorrect post when querying by slug if sticky posts exist
• #63323 Reduce copy from 6.8 about page
• #63339 WordPress 6.8 REST API returns all sticky posts regardless of per_page setting
• #63358 Adminadmin (and super admin) Bar: Restore the Edit Site link to its previous link (link to templates)
• GB-69958 Use split view for metaMeta Meta is a term that refers to the inside workings of a group. For us, this is the team that works on internal WordPress sites like WordCamp Central and Make WordPress. boxes only when canvas is iframed and “Desktop” view
• GB-70006 Fix ‘wp-polyfill’ script dependents unit testunit test Code written to test a small piece of code or functionality within a larger application. Everything from themes to WordPress core have a series of unit tests. Also see regression.
• GB-70001 Author, Author Name blockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience.: fix PHP warning error when there is no context
• GB-69998 Keyboard Shortcuts: Revert delete shortcut to access + z 
• GB-70000 ToggleGroupControl: Fix active background for empty string value

What’s next?

Reminder: the dev-reviewed workflow (double committer sign-off) is required when making changes to the 6.8 branchbranch A directory in Subversion. WordPress uses branches to store the latest development code for each major release (3.9, 4.0, etc.). Branches are then updated with code for any minor releases of that branch. Sometimes, a major version of WordPress and its minor versions are collectively referred to as a "branch", such as "the 4.0 branch"..

The final release is expected on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. This date is subject to change if any issues with RC1 are discovered. Coordination will happen in the WordPress.orgWordPress.org The community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/ SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. #6-8-release-leads channel, and releases are always packaged and tested in #core.

A special thanks to everyone who reported issues, helped test, and helped create patches. The success of 6.8.1 depends on proper testing, so please lend a helping hand.

Thanks to @desrosj and @presskopp for pre-publication review.

#6-8, #6-8-1, #6-8-x, #minor-releases, #releases